One Step Closer to Nowhere
by DarkSpade3
Summary: Hitman-Resident Evil Crossover. What if Umbrella had decided not to send one of their own teams to kill William Birkin? What if they had sent another assassin instead?
1. Briefing

**One Step Closer to Nowhere**

by

**DarkSpade**

"He's gone too far this time!" shouted Ozwell Spencer at his cowering personal assistant, slamming his fist down on his ornate oak desk. "I don't care how 'brilliant' he thinks he is. He's just signed his own death warrant!"

"Sir, perhaps if he was given more time to-"

"No. This was his last chance to cooperate. He's been acting more and more erratic since the incident at the Arklay facility. Birkin has become a liability that needs to be taken care of. Do you understand me, Edwards?" said Spencer, beginning to calm down. He took a sip of tea from an expensive china teacup.

"I don't think the board of directors will like this, Lord Spencer." said Edwards, carefully.

"That's why they will not be informed. Am I understood?"

"But, sir-!" protested Edwards.

"I asked if you understood me, Edwards!?"

"Yes, sir. I understand, sir. I'll deploy a team to Raccoon City at once."

Spencer considered this for a moment.

"No. Birkin still has a few friends on the board. We can't risk them finding out about the operation. Or at least my part in it. We'll need an outside contractor."

"Who do you have in mind, sir?" asked Edwards.

"Call Merces Letifer. I want to speak with Diana." said Spencer.

Edwards nodded before quickly leaving through the double doors of Spencer's office, closing them quietly behind him. A minute later Spencer's phone buzzed.

"Sir, I have the Agency on the line. Diana is waiting to speak to you." Edwards' voice came from the loudspeaker.

"Put her through." said Spencer, before picking up the phone.

"Good afternoon, Diana."

"Lord Spencer. It's a pleasure to be speaking with you again. What can I do for the Umbrella Corporation today?" Diana asked.

"Firstly," began Spencer. "As this is a sensitive matter, you will not be dealing with the Umbrella Corporation for the duration of this contract. You will be dealing with me, personally. And as such, no one within Umbrella will be aware of this. In fact, the only people I want to know about this are you and me."

"I understand, Lord Spencer. Now, how exactly will you be needing our services."

"Our top scientest in Raccoon City has ceased all communications with us. He has been acting quite strangely and I belive he may be trying to defect to another company, to continue his research. The project he is working on is of vital importance to the Umbrella Corporation. I need this scientest removed and I need the virus sample he is working on delivered to me. I must stress, the virus sample is of critical importance. All other research notes and materials should be destroyed - we can easily reproduce them once we have the sample."

"I see." said Diana. "I believe we can help you, Lord Spencer. I will, of course, need detailed files on the scientest in question. Also, details on his location, security arrangements and a description of the virus will help the operation to run smoothly." she paused. "How much are you willing to pay?"

"I think that...double your usual fee is more than fair. And I want your best agent working on this."

"Of course, Lord Spencer. Although...that may be difficult. He hasn't been taking on many contracts lately."

"Then offer him double his fee as well. Or triple. I don't care as long as he does his job and gets my virus back."

"I get in contact with him right away, Lord Spencer. We still have to work out the details but I think we have an agreement."

"Excellent. I'll have my assistant send over any files your man needs. Good day, Diana." Spencer hung up the phone. He clicked the button to the intercom outside.

"Edwards, get in here!"

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47 raised his AMT Hardballer and fired all seven rounds into his target. The high-pitched ring of his cellphone hadn't distracted him one bit. He didn't even need to look to see that the every shot would have been lethal. The cardboard cutout had 5 tightly grouped shots where the heart would have been on a live target. If that hadn't been enough the 2 shots to the head would have been instantly fatal.

47 removed the empty clip and replaced it with a full one before answering the cellphone.

"47." he stated simply.

"This is Agency. Please hold for Diana."

As he waited, 47 holstered the Hardballer inside his jacket opposite it's twin. After waiting for a few seconds he heard the familiar voice of Diana.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, 47."

"I told you not to contact me."

"I apologise, 47, but I wouldn't call if it wasn't important. We have an assignment for you." said Diana.

"I also told you that I don't work for Agency anymore."

"I'm sorry about that whole business with Professor Ort-Meyer, 47, but we had no way of knowing what he was up to."

"Then you should pay more attention to who your clients are, Diana. Goodbye."

"We'll offer you triple your usual fee...our client insisted on the best." Diana said quickly, before 47 could hang up. He paused for a second before answering.

"I wan't to know who the client is and who the target is before I agree to anything."

"That could be difficult, 47, he requested that no-"

"Goodbye, Diana."

"47, wait!" said Diana. She sighed. "Very well. I agree to your terms. However we will need to meet face to face. This information is too sensitive to be transmitted to your laptop. Give me your location and I'll send a plane to bring you here to New York."

"Good. I'm currently in Havana. I can be at the airport in 3 hours." 47 answered.

"I'll have someone waiting for you."

-----------------------------------------

Dr. William Birkin sat on his lab stool eagerly examining another virus sample under a microscope. Like everything else in the lab, the microscope was the most advanced and expensive model available. Numerous cups of coffee littered Birkin's desk, most of them untouched, despite the fact he had been working through the night. This was also evident by the dark circles under his eyes and the stubble shadowing his boyish features. As the electronic door to the lab opened he looked away from the microscope briefly to note sonething in his notebook.

"Sir, we've recieved another message from Lord Spencer. I really think you should speak with him." said a man in a labcoat from the doorway, as Birkin began looking at the virus sample again.

"I told you not to disturb me! Tell Spencer he'll get his virus sample soon. My work on the G-Virus is almost complete." Birkin responded, irritated.

"You said that last time, sir. I informed Lord Spencer but he still insists on speaking with you."

"I TOLD YOU! I'M BUSY, NOW GET OUT OF HERE!" Birkin shouted, picking up a half full coffee cup and hurling it at the door. The cup smashed against the wall next to the door, spraying the young scientest in the doorway with tepid coffee.

-----------------------------------------

"Good morning, 47. Please come in." said Diana, as her secretary ushered the assassin through the double doors into her office. Although it was his first time here in this office, it was just like 47 had expected. Expensive, minimalist and soulless. Diana was sitting behind a desk with only an expensive looking laptop on it, a single folder next to it.

"How was your flight?" she asked, as 47 sat down in a chair in front of the desk.

"Uneventful."

"I won't bore you with small talk, 47. Let's get right down to business." said Diana. "You siad that you wanted to know who you are working for before you agreed?"

"Correct." confirmed 47.

"Normally we would never consider revealing the identity of a client especially when they specifically ask for their identity to be kept a secret. However I think an exception can be made in your case, 47. Only myself, the client and whoever else he has told will know about this so if the information is leaked he will be informed that you knew he was the one who hired you. Those are my conditions, 47."

"Understood."

"Excellent. The client is Lord Ozwell Spencer, one of the founders of the Umbrella Corporation and head of Umbrella's London Division. He want's you to go to Raccoon City and assassinate one of Umbrella's top scientests, one William Birkin. You are also to bring back the virus sample that the scientest was working on and destroy the lab."

"Why would one of the heads of Umbrella want to kill one of their own top scientests?" asked 47.

"We're not sure. Our intelligence suggests that Spencer is concerned that Birkin will defect to one of Umbrella's rival divisions or evern to another company. He feels that Birkin is expendable but the virus is not." Diana answered.

"Tell me about the target." said 47.

"Here's a recent picture." said Diana as she opened the folder on her desk and handed a picture to 47. "Dr. William Birkin. Age 36. Height 5' 8". Weight 147 pounds. Wife, Annette Birkin, Age 38, also an Umbrella researcher at the Raccoon City facility. One Daughter, Sherry Birkin, Age 12. He began working with Umbrella while still in his early teens. Boy genius, IQ off the chart, that sort of thing. The profile shows him to be obsessive and single minded, especially when it comes to his work. He spends almost all of his time in his lab."

"What kind of security does this facility have?" said 47, handing the picture back, having already committing the face to memory.

"It's underground, hidden from the public. So secrecy is their main defence. There are only a handful of guards, nothing you can't handle. You are free to deal with the guards however you like but try not to harm other Umbrella scientests...unless you really have to. Lord Spencer was kind enough to provide blueprints of the facility, including concealed entrances. He has also given us temporary access codes and security keycards. They will be valid for the next three days. This should be a walk in the park for someone of your skills, 47."

"I'll be in Raccoon tomorrow. It shouldn't take long." said 47, standing up.

"Excellent. Everything you need is in here." said Diana, handing the folder to him. "Half your fee will be transferred to your account shortly, the other half when you complete your task. Good luck, 47."

"Goodbye Diana." he said, walking out of her office.

-----------------------------------------


	2. Infiltration

**One Step Closer to Nowhere **

**Chapter II**

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Sorry about the length of time it took to update but that life stuff always seems to get in the way. I should be updating fairly regularly from now on and I do plan on finishing this fic._

_

* * *

_

47 stared out of the small, oval windows of the Gulfstream IV jet as it took off, the airport fading into the distance. It was an Agency owned plane, 47 was sure. The crew didn't ask questions or barely even acknowleged that he was there. It gave 47 a chance to go over the details of the job in his head. Something wasn't right about it. He had already heard rumours that Umbrella worked on more than just healthcare, medical research and whatever else multinational corporations did. They didn't make money by killing their top scientists which meant that the virus Birkin was working must be of immense value to Ozwell. The question was why? There are some really potent viruses that Umbrella could get their hands on with no questions asked considering their corporate status.

It still didn't make sense to him so 47 concentrated on memorising the blueprints for the labs and the access codes for the secure areas. It didnt take him long. After looking over the various building plans Diana had given him he had already decided on the point of entry to the lab that he would take. He also saw several different escape routes he could take if things got messy, although that was unlikely.

* * *

The young scientest hesitated for a few moments as he reached the door to Birkin's lab. He had already changed his clothes once today and really didnt want to dodge coffee cups again. He eventually worked up the courage to go in, the electronic door sliding across before he entered. 

As he expected, Birkin was still at the microscope, muttering something under his breath.

"What do you want now, Elliot?" he said, without looking up.

"Sir, Lord Spencer called again. He didn't want to talk about the virus or your work."

"Good."

"He said that you would be dealt with later. He sounded pretty angry."

"Fine. Mabye I can finish my work without all these interruptions now!" said Birkin, finally looking up from the microscope at the increasingly nervous scientist.

"B-b-but, sir. You realize what that probably means, don't you?" Elliot stammered.

"Do you think I am an fool, Elliot! Of course I know what that means. And it doesn't matter. The G-Virus is almost ready." he sai, becoming more irritated.

"But, Dr. Birkin, he could send the UBCS or even some of the T-Virus bioweapons."

"Please" Birkin mocked. "The T-virus is obsolete. Even a Tyrant is nothing compared to what my precious G-Virus can do." he said proudly.

"But we-" Elliot began.

"I don't have time for this. Get out. Now!" said Birkin.

Elliot didn't need to be told twice. He turned and practically ran out of the lab.

"Idiots." thought Birkin as the door closed behind Elliot. "Wesker was right to get out from under Umbrella's thumb when he had the chance. But soon it won't even matter."

* * *

47 stepped down from the jet onto the runway. He looked around and noticed that the small airport was nearly empty even though it was just after dawn. 

"Not many people around." remarked 47 as one of the crew handed him his suitcase.

"Yeah. There's not much air travel to Raccoon City." explained the crewman. "This airfield is too small for the larger commercial jumbo jets and it's still a twenty minute drive to the city. Speaking of which, my superiors have told me that they have left you a car outside. Black, Lincoln Continental in the car park. Section 2, row B, I believe." The man handed 47 a key.

"Thanks."

"Don't worry about airport security either. They look the other way any time Umbrella brings something...questionable through here. It wasn't that hard to convince them to let one man through with no questions asked."

"I'd better get going. Tell your superiors that their business will be taken care of by this evening." said 47.

"Yes, sir. Although, if you do plan on staying here overnight I'd reccommend the Apple Inn."

"I'll keep that in mind."

47 walked over to the terminal and went in. The crew member had been right about one thing. The security guards gave him a personal escort right through the airport, out to the car park and even showed him where to find his car.

It took 47 almost thirty minutes to drive into the city as rush hour traffic began to build up. He noticed a lot of advertisements for various Umbrella products and posters about employment oppertunities with the company. It was obvious that Umbrella held a lot of influence in the city.

47 continued driving through the densely populated commercial district until he came to the industrial area. It didn't take long to find what he was looking for. He parked the Lincoln across the road and one block down from a warehouse. He reached over to the folder on the seat next to him and pulled out a picture. This was one of Umbrella's warehouses, specifically, one which held a secret entrance to William Birkin's underground lab.

47 got out of the car and began walking in the direction of the warehouse semmingly not paying much attention to it. Most of the buildings in the area were similar, warehouses and factories mostly. As he got closer, 47 saw that the Umbrella warehouse seemed more run-down than others, almost abandoned. However, the brand new chains and padlock on the gate and discreetly placed security cameras indicated otherwise. After a few more minutes of observation he decided that it would be much easier to get inside at night. He would have to wait.

* * *

"Edwards!" shouted Ozwell Spencer. 

Edwards appeared at the door to Spencer's office a few short seconds later. "Y-Yes sir?"

"Have you finished the report on the missing STARS members yet?" Spencer asked.

"I'm just finishing it now, sir." replied Edwards.

"Forget about that. Just tell me what you've found out about them."

"W-Well, Lord Spencer, it seems that Mr. Redfield and Mr. Burton are somewhere in Europe. We...uh...don't know exactly where. And we haven't been able to locate Miss Chambers or their pilot Brad Vickers...but we're still looking." said Edwards, somewhat nervously.

"So..." said Spencer, softly. "You're basically saying that you have no idea where any of them are, correct?"

"Um...actually, sir, we know where one of the remaining STARS are. Jill Valentine was spotted in Raccoon City a matter of hours ago."

"Ahh. Now there is a problem that we can do something about. Get Diana on the phone. We may have some more business for her man in Raccoon to take care of." Spencer smiled.

"Right away, sir."

* * *

The room at the Apple Inn wasn't exactly luxurious. There was a fairly comfortable bed, a desk, a chair and a small TV. It also had a small, but clean, ensuite bathroom. 

"Still, it's far from the worst place I've stayed in." thought 47, as he set up his laptop on the desk. He saw that there were no new messages from Agency when he switched it on. There wasn't much else to do but wait. It was something that 47 was very used to by now. The waiting was always infinitely longer than the missions themselves.

47 spent the next few hours waiting for the sun to go down. He already knew what he had to do and how he was going to do it. When the sun went down, it would begin.

* * *

"Hey! Jerry! I'm gonna take a quick look around the perimeter then I'm outta here." 

"Yeah, got it." Jerry replied, without looking up from his newspaper. "Hank, you sure you don't want to pull a double shift? Jenkins called in sick again."

"Nah, I've been here all day. Jenkins can get somebody else to cover his ass." said Hank.

Hank put on his security guard's jacket, the Umbrella logo stiched on both shoulders, and stepped outside into the cool September air. He took out a cigarette and was feeling around in his jacket pockets for a lighter when he felt an intense pressure around his neck.

The unlit cigarette dropped from his hand as he struggled to gasp for air. He frantically grasped at his throat to remove whatever was wrapped around his neck. Another sharp tug almost crushed his windpipe slowing his hopeless efforts to get free. After a few more seconds his stuggling had stopped and his arms dropped to his sides.

47 loosened the fibre wire from the man's neck and quietly slid the body to the ground, still making sure the camera couldn't see either of them.

As the camera swiveled in the opposite direction, 47 drew one of his Hardballers and moved towards the door of the warehouse.


	3. Execution

**One Step Closer to Nowhere**

**Chapter III**

------

47 moved through the shadows of the corridor, avoiding the other CCTV cameras. He could picture the entire layout of the facility in his mind. There was a security desk around the next corner which happened to be next to the elevators to the lower levels where Birkin's lab was located.

As the assassin approached the corner he could hear the tapping of a keyboard. He calmly and quickly took a peek around the corner. Only one guard, as expected. 47 took a small coin from his pocket and threw it down the opposite corridor. It produced a loud ping as it bounced off the polished floor. He pressed back against the wall as the tapping of the keyboard stopped. Then came the expected noise of the chair creaking as the guard stood up, followed by the faint sound of footsteps.

47 could tell exactly how far away the guard was from the sound. As soon as the guard came into 47's line of sight the assassin took two silent steps towards him. Before the guard even had a chance to draw his weapon, 47 had wrapped both his arms around the man's head and twisted sharply. There was a loud crack as the guard dropped to the floor, dead.

He pressed a finger to the earpiece in his right ear as he dragged the body behind the desk.

"Agency, this is 47. I'm inside the facility."

"Diana here, 47. Good work. Proceed to Dr. Birkin's lab."

"I'll contact you again when I have eliminated the target. Out."

47 pulled out a card-key from his pocket and slid it through the card reader next to the elevator. The metallic doors opened almost immediately and he stepped inside. He pressed the button for B3 and prepared for any resistance when the doors opened again.

-----

"It's...perfect!" Birkin exclaimed as he held the one of the vials of G-Virus in his hands. His eyes gleamed in contrast to the dark circles under them.

"And Spencer wants to take it away from me. A lifetime of work only to be snatched away by a fool!"

The electronic lab door opened as Birkin was still gazing at the G-Virus.

"Sir, I-" Dr. Elliot began. "Is that the G-Virus, sir?"

"Yes."

"This...this is terrific! I can call Lord Spencer and tell him that you have finished his virus and he won't have to send anyone to kill us." said Elliot, smiling broadly.

Birkin scowled. "This room is soundproofed, isn't it Elliot?"

"Of course, sir. All the labs were when-"

Before Dr. Elliot could finish the sentence, Birkin pulled a small handgun out of a workbench drawer and fired a shot into the young scientist's chest. He fired several more times as Elliot slumped against the wall and eventually slid to the ground leaving a trail of blood.

"Nobody will be taking MY virus! Especially not Spencer or anyone else at Umbrella! I have done what I needed to do here. Umbrella and this city can rot for all I care." he told the lifeless corpse at the door.

"Now I just need to figure out a way to get out of here without every Umbrella operative in the city coming after me."

William Birkin had an idea or two on how to take care of that problem.

-----

47 removed the piano wire from around the security guard's neck as he dragged him into the elevator. He tensed slightly as he heard the faint sound of voices coming around the corner. Two of them.

He quickly opened the elevator's service panel and pulled out one of the circuit boards and a handful of wires. He stepped out and managed to manually slide the doors shut just as two female scientists appeared from around the corner. The appeared slightly surprised when they saw 47, but not at all worried. Visitors were uncommon but not unheard of.

"Can we help you?" asked the older of the two, who looked to be in her late forties.

"No. Thank you. I'm here to meet with Dr. Birkin. I presume he is in his lab?" answered 47.

"As always. He usually spends a minimum of twenty hours a day in there. I don't think he's slept in days. Speaking of which, we really must be getting back to our living quarters. It's been another long day."

"I suggest you take this elevator." said 47, gesturing to the one that was still working. "The other one seems to be broken."

"Thank you, Mr..?" asked the younger woman.

"Reiper. Good night, Doctors." said 47 as he began walking down the corridor in the direction of Birkin's lab.

Umbrella really didn't focus as much on security as they should, 47 thought.

-----

The light from the computer screen illuminated Birkin's smirk as his fingers danced over the keyboard.

"This little diversion will keep Umbrella so busy that I'll be half way around the world before they even realise that I'm gone." he thought. "I'll need to take Sherry with me to do some further testing on the effects of the G-Virus. She is too valuable to leave behind. I'll have Annette bring her to me."

Birkin finished typing and hit the Enter key for the last time. He stood up and checked the small silver briefcase and the workbench. It contained a viral injection gun and several vials of viruses and antidotes, including the three G-Virus samples. He took one last look around his lab before he grabbed the handgun and virus case from the workbench.

As he turned to leave the electronic lab door slid open. He raised his gun an aimed at the unfamiliar man in the doorway. He was tall, completely bald and his icy blue eyes seemed to pierce right through the doctor. Birkin also noticed the gleam of the overhead lights on the man's silver handgun. There was no mistaking why he was here.

"It didn't take Spencer long to send one of his underlings." said Birkin, sounding a lot more calm than he felt.

"I assume that contains the G-Virus, Dr Birkin." 47 replied, nodding to the silver briefcase in Birkin's left hand.

"It is MINE!" the doctor shouted angrily, his hand beginning to tremble slightly.

"You have no other choice, Doctor. Give me the case." said 47, wondering about the body on the ground next to him. Birkin was obviously unstable.

Birkin hesitated for a moment and then 47 noticed the doctor's finger tensing on the trigger. The assassin fired twice, both shots hitting Birkin directly in the chest. The doctor slumped to the ground behind the workbench.

As blood poured from his wounds, Birkin fumbled with the case and managed to grab the injection gun and a vial of G-Virus from it. As 47 cautiously moved around the workbench, his gun still drawn, the doctor used his last ounce of strength to inject the virus into his arm. The assassin noticed the doctor's movement and ended it with a single shot to the head.

47 holstered his Hardballer and walked over to the body. After he checked for a pulse and found nothing, he checked the injection gun. He removed the empty vial and saw that it was labelled "G-Virus". He put the empty injection gun back into the case and checked the other vials. There were still two G-Virus samples and other valuable viruses and antidotes left.

"Agency, this is 47. I have competed objectives one and two. Birkin is dead and I have recovered two of the G-Virus samples. His lab will be destroyed shortly."

"Excellent work as always, 47. Proceed with your third objective. Contact me again when you have exited the facility. Diana out."

47 was making a quick check of the lab when he noticed the computer screen was flashing. Birkin must have been working on something earlier. As he read the screen he felt what could almost be described as fear.

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**Username:** _Birkin, W._

**Password: ---------------**

**Password Accepted.**

**Welcome Doctor Birkin.**

_Initiate emergency override_

**Enter Emergency Authorisation Password**

**Password: ----------------**

**Password Accepted.**

_Initiate T-Virus release: Raccoon City Sewers_

_Initiate T-Virus release: Raccoon City Mall_

_Initiate T-Virus release: Downtown Raccoon City_

**T-Virus Release Confirmed: Raccoon City Sewers**

**T-Virus Release Confirmed: Raccoon City Mall**

**T-Virus Release Confirmed: Downtown Raccoon City**

_Estimate infection rate after 24 hours_

_Estimate infection rate after 48 hours_

**Infection rate after 24 hours: 67.1 of population**

**Infection rate after 48 hours: 98.3 of population**

_Estimate time until first infected becomes deceased_

**Expected time: 1 hour 37 minutes**

**------------------------------------------------------------------**

47 noticed that the virus was released over twenty minutes ago. It would already be spreading across the city. The only reasonable course of action was to escape before the military had the city quarantine.

"Agency, we have a problem."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Sorry again for the lack of updates. I'm really trying to get the next chapters out faster. **


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